Washing machine



April 14, 1942; sUlT's ET AL'. 2,279,878 o WASHING MACHINE Filed Feb. '7, 1940.

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m s. K h w C Inventors Chaunceg G. Suits ing. On the inner edge 8 Patented Apr. 14, 1942 2,279,878 WASHING MACHINE Schenectady, N. Y., and Charles K. Skinner, Southport, Conn., assignors Chauncey G. Suits,

to General Electric Company, a

New York corporation of Application February 7, 1940, serial No. 317,715

2 claims. (ci. ss-zal' The present'invention relates to washing machines of the type in which clothes are washed and centrifugally dried .in a single receptacle or In such machines, during washing, a nlm of impurities, such as particles of lint and of the reaction products of soap, of the washing solution. VWhen the receptacle is rotated for centrifugal drying, the clothes and liquid are thrown outward by centrifugal force against the side walls of the receptacle. The clothes collect in a layer on the side walls of the receptacle and the liquid is discharged over the edges of the receptacle or through discharge openings therein. The fllm tends to remain on the surface of the liquid and therefore collects Aon the inner surface of the clothes. This results in the deposit of a layer of impurities on the clothes.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in machines of this type for eliminating the abovedescribed difficulties, and for a consideration of what we believe novel and our invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a sectional elevation of a washing machine embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the upper end 'of the agitator; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line -l of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a washing machine having an outer casing or tub I provided with a cover 2 and supported by casters 3. In the upper part of the casing and above the water level therein is a rotatable tub or receptacle d for receiving the clothes to be washed. The receptacle t has outwardly and upwardly flaring side walls 5 which terminate at the upper edge in an inwardly extending rim 6. At the region of greatest diameter the side walls are provided with discharge openings 'l through which the liquid is centrifugally discharged during dryof the rim t is seated a ring 9 carrying an annular filter I0 of fabric or wire mesh screen. At the inner edge of the filter is a ring II flaring outward-and upward therefrom to provide an opening through which clothes may be inserted and removed from the receptacle. During washing, liquid is pumped from the bottom'of the outer casing I by means of a pump I2 and is discharged on to the filter I0 through a nozzle I3 extending through an opening Id in the cover 2. In case the lter becollects on the surface receptacle hub.

4and of friction material.

comes clogged, the liquid overflowsthe upper edge of the ring 9 and runs down the outside of the receptacle to the casing. The filter therefore prevents the return of impurities to the receptacle.

The receptacle is supported in a carrier having annular side walls I5 surrounding the receptacle side walls 5 and having spaced radial arms I6 extending inward .beneath the bottom walls Il of the receptacle and secured at their inner ends to a disk I8. Integral withl the disk I8 is an upwardly projecting cylindrical flange I9 in which is fixed a sleevel 20'which extends above the normal Water level in the receptacle.

The receptacle is removably fastened in the carrier by means of a snap ring 2l fitting in a groove in the flange I9'and clamping the bottom wall of the receptacle against the upper surface of the disk I9. The sleeve 20 therefore serves as the The carrier has sufl'icient mass to serve as` a balance `weight for reducing the amplitude of vibration during centrifugal drying.

Extending upward from the bottom wall 22 of the outer casing I is a sleeve 23, the upper end of which is above vthe water level in the casing. The lower end of the sleeve is connected to the bottom wall of the casing by a liquid-tight joint 2l. Journaled'in a bearing 25 in the upper end of the sleeve 23 is a vertical shaft 26 which is selectively oscillated at washing speed or rotated at centrifugal drying speed by suitable mechanism located within a casing 21 supported below the bottom wall 22 of the outer casing. Suitable mechanism for this purpose being known in the art, illustration is not required. vThe upper end of the shaft 26 projects above the sleeve 23 and is journ'aled in the hub 20 of the receptacle carrier by means of a sleeve bearing 28 fixed to the inside of the hub 20 and by means of a combined sleeve and thrust bearing 29 secured in the upper end of the hub by means of a washer 30 fixed to the hub by a spun-over portion 3 I From another aspect, the receptacle carrier is supported on the shaft and in rotatable relation thereto by the bearings 28 and 29. The bearing 29 is rotatable on a sleeve 32 splined on the upper end of the shaft 26. 32 is provided withan outwardly extending flange 33. Between the upper surface of the flange 33 and the lower end of the bearing 29 are arranged alternate disks 34 and 35 respectively of metal The weight of thereceptacle and contents is transmitted from the hub 20 through the thrust washer30 to the bearing 29 and from the bearing through the disks 36 and 35 and flange 33 to a shoulder 36 on the The lower end of the sleeve shaft 26. The weight of the receptacle and contents therefore presses the disks 34 and 35 into frictional engagement. One of the metal disks 34 is provided with a projection 31 (Fig. 3) which cooperates with a projection 38 on the inner surface of the hub 20 to provide a driving connection between the shaft 26 and the hub 2liv during continuous rotation of the shaft. During washing, when the shaft 26 is oscillated through an angle of the order o1 200 degrees, the projection -31 does not strike the projection 38 and the receptacle accordingly remains substantially stationary. During centrifugal drying, when the Ashaft 28 is rotated, the projections engage and establish a friction drive for rotating the receptacle. The friction between the disks 34 and 35 preventsinjury of the driving mechanism due to impact of the 'projections 31 and 38.

The spllned upper end of `the shaft 26 projects into an agitator drive nut 39 seated in a socket 48 in the upper end of the hub 4I of an agitator 42. The agitator is supported by a thrust washer 43 arranged between the lower edgeof the agitator drive nut 39 and the upper edge of the sleeve 32. vThe agitator hub 4I depends around and is spaced from the hub 28 and terminates at .its lower end in a disk 44 adjacent the receptacle bottom Wall I1. Three vanes 45 extend radially from the agitator hub. The agitator hub is journaled at its lower end on the iiange I9 by means` of a bearing 46 fixed within the agitator hub.

Integral4 with the upper end of the agitator hub is an annular trough 41, the upper end of which is at or slightly below the water level in the receptacle indicated by the broken line 48. The trough communicates through passages 49 in the agitator hub with the space between the outside of the receptacle hub 20 and the inside of the agitator hub 4|. During washing, the oscillation of the agitator causes the liquid to iiow in radial circulatory paths indicated by the arrows 58 in Fig. 1. The circulation at the surface of the liquid in the receptacle is radially inward toward the trough 41. The surface liquid together with particles floating therein, such as lint and the soap reaction products, is therefore conducted to the trough 41 and flows into the trough through the passages 49 to the space between the receptacle and agitator hubs and down through vertical passages I in the flange I9 to the bottomof the outer casingv I. The close fit between theagitator bearing 46 and the flange I9 prevents thev liquid within the agitator hub from flowing out beneath the agitator disk 44. The trough 41 is particularly effective in removing the impurities, due to its location at the center of the tub, and further due to the fact that the agitator; during washing operation, induces a circulation toward the trough. The particles floating on top of the washing solution are dimcult to remove since they tend to collect in a `illin. The operation of the agitator produces a turbulence adjacent the trough 41 which tends to break up the film and thereby facilitatesthe iiow of the particles into the trough. Although the discharge openings 1 are also arranged adjacent the liquid level in the receptacle, very few of the particles-'on the surface of the liquidV radially inward circulation induced by the agi,

iiow out through the discharge openings 1. The

tator and the cohesion of the particles in the film are suillcient to keep these particles from iiowing out through the discharge openings 1. 'I'he surface liquid together with the particles formed thereon is continuously removed during the washing operation and conducted to the bottom of .the outer casing I.` At the same time liquid i's withdrawn from the bottom of -the receptacle through openings 52 in the receptacle bottom Wall I1. These openings are located beneath the disk 44 of the agitator hub 4|. Heavy particles, such as sand, tend to fiow out through these openings. Some of the liquid may splash out through the 'discharge openings 1 and collect in the bottom of the outer casing. All of the liquid collecting in the bottom of the outer casing, during washing is .continuously pumped on to the filter I 0 by the pump I2. Here the solid particles are removed and only the clear filtered =liquid is returned to the receptacle.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1.In a washing machine, a clothes receptacle adapted to be-iilled with liquid to a predetermined level and having an upwardly extending hub at the center,r an agitator having a body portion surrounding and spaced from said hub, said agitator having provisions for causing a circulation of the liquid radially toward the center of the receptacle at the surface of the liquid, a passage through the agitator body adjacent the surface of the liquid in the receptacle for conducting surface liquid and particles floating.

thereon to the space between the agitator body and said hub, a passage from said space for conducting said liquid and particles out of vthe receptacle, and means for removing said particles from said liquid and returning to the receptacle the liquid flowing through said passages.

2. In a washing machine, an outer casing, a rotatable clothes receptacle adapted to be iilled with liquid to a predetermined level. said receptacle being supported therein above the liquid level in the casing so as to drain to the casing and having a central upwardly extending hub therein, an agitator in the receptacle having a body portion surrounding and spaced from said hub. passages in the agitator body adjacent the surface of the liquidV in the receptacle for con' ducting surface liquidand particles floating thereon to the space between the agitator body and said hub, a bearing for the agitator on said hub and below said passages, other passages extending through said bearing to below the bottom wall of the receptacle for draining said surfaceliquid tothe casing, and means for returning said liquid from the casing to the receptacle.

CHAUNCEY G. SUITS. CHARLES K. sKrNNER. 

